


His Job

by BekahRose



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Comics), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Allusions to Xander/Dawn, Comics AU, F/M, Jossing Joss, Short One Shot, Spoilers, what is canon?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 10:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17323301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BekahRose/pseuds/BekahRose
Summary: To defeat the Big Bad, they need to force his hand, so they do.





	His Job

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters, they belong to the Joss and the Fox and the WB and the Mutant Enemy, Dark Horse... If I owned these guys, do you honestly think this would have happened?  
>  **Warnings:** SPOILERS FOR COMIC-CANON, ISSUE #39.  
>  **Author's Note:** I've not been following the comics, in fact, I like to live in a little fantasy world where the comics are some weird twisted sort of Fan Fiction that I can happily ignore. Originally written in a fit of temper because my IJ Flist was being spammed by Whedonesque's "Let's commemorate Giles!" posts back when it happened.

** His Job **

“Did it work?”

Green eyes met blue and the momentary flicker of _something_... seemed to take his breath away.

“Yep,” she said, arms sliding around his waist and holding him close. “Rupert Giles is officially dead, identified the body myself.” A shudder worked its way down her spine and she buried her face in his chest, inhaling the scent of paper, ink, warm leather and something that was uniquely _him_.

“The others?” he asked, his fingers stroking across her shoulder in an attempt to soothe and calm.

“Willow’s devastated, Xander’s… he… I haven’t seen him like that since Anya died, Andrew’s a wreck, Dawn’s comforting Xander as best she can but even she’s not… and Faith’s out for blood. I’ve had to knock her out to keep her from going after him by herself.”

He sighed and pulled away, moving to sit in the chair she’d come to think of as his. “It’s for the best,” he muttered, slipping his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“How is it for the best?” Buffy demanded, brow furrowing as she stood in front of him. “This whole… whatever it is… it’s tearing the team apart! I’ve got girls out there who think I’m sleeping with the enemy and now I’ve got a family who think I stood by and let him… let that _thing_ … kill you!”

“Buffy,” he began, looking up at her.

“No, Giles!” she said and crossed her arms over her chest. “I understand why he needs to think that you’re… why they all need to think that you’re…” she burst into tears and collapsed onto Giles’ lap, burying her face in his neck as sobs wracked her small frame. “He _laughed_ , Giles. He stopped and he laughed and for a second there, I forgot! All I could see was _you_ , not the double and he killed you, Giles.”

“Shh,” he whispered, pressing his lips to her temple. “I’m fine, Buffy. We’re fine.” He gathered her onto his lap and held her as she sobbed. It was a brilliant plan, one that showed Angel’s… Twlight’s… hand, and while he did feel sorry for the double, he couldn’t help but be relieved that this meant the end was near. With him effectively out of the firing line, he could return his focus to the things he did best, providing the Slayer with the right tools she needed to keep the world safe. The others would use this as motivation and then when they – Angel, a little voice whispered in his head – were least expecting it, Giles would return with the information Buffy and Faith need and Twilight and Angel would be no more.


End file.
